SAN BERNARDINO - The Oakland Raiders, a dozen years after fleeing Los Angeles, finished the 2006 regular season with a 2-14 record -- the worst in the NFL.

Despite the teams' embarrassing performance, silver-and-black attired Raider Nation fans significantly outnumber any other sports team appearing daily at the main San Bernardino County courthouse in downtown San Bernardino.

Criminal gang prosecutors are unimpressed.

"Generally speaking, those wearing Raiders gear in Southern California are associated with gangs," said Cheryl Kersey, who leads the hard-core gang prosecution unit for the San Bernardino County district attorney's office.

In her office, Kersey has five black hats confiscated during search warrants involving gangs. She said they are used to train law enforcement on recognizing gang symbols.

One is a Raiders hat doctored to reflect an Inland Empire gang connection. The others are also black with lettering reflecting gang names.

Gangs first pick their colors, then find a team that coincides with them, Kersey said. Black is popular among Hispanic gangs in Southern California, she said.

Raiders gear dominates the courthouse because gang members must adopt the team as their own when they join, she said.

"You pledge loyalty," she said. "No individuals are allowed."

Gang membership dictates the cars members drive, the women they date and the teams they like, Kersey said.

"If they weren't a Raiders fan before joining a gang, they certainly will become one," she said.

Gang prosecutor Doug Poston said the Raiders' bad-boy image -- a pirate with a swashbuckling attitude -- is the attraction.

"It goes back to the westerns," Poston said. "Bad guys wear black."

Frustration

Both a lawyer for the Oakland Raiders and the president of the only official Inland Empire team booster club said they are aware of criminal gangs co-opting the silver and black.

"It's very frustrating to be identified by a few bad apples representing the whole core," said Patsie Sevier, a Riverside grandmother and president of the Inland Empire Raiders Booster Club. "We get discriminated against -- us legitimate folks."

Sevier, a retired airplane mechanic, said her 200-strong group is treated badly when it travels to visitor stadiums en masse. She said her group is unfairly stereotyped as gang members.

"We take children and grandchildren. They have been taunted by adults," Sevier said. "We set an example. We show that Raider fans are nice."

Sevier said she started her informal club in 1985. She said the Raiders officially recognized her club -- which includes officers, bylaws and planning meetings -- in 1990.

Sevier said illegitimate Raiders fans are easy to spot on game day because they buy cheap seats and wear knock-offs.

"It's mainly the gangs that use fake jerseys," Sevier said. "It's recognizable with folks who pay for the official items."

Jeff Birren, an attorney for the Raiders for 22 years, said the gang stereotype began eroding while the team played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994. He described the stigma as a "non-issue."

"At one time, there was that perception that our colors were related to gang involvement," Birren said. "It's dissipated with the passage of time."

Birren said gangs may have adopted the silver-and-black as a favorite team because Oakland Raiders merchandise is abundant and available. He said the team has generally been No. 1 in NFL sales for decades.

Global Appeal

A July news release from the Raiders said their merchandise is among the top NFL sellers worldwide. It said the team leads the league in multicultural initiatives, including recently adding Japanese and Tagalog information to its Web site.

"There is something about our mystique, our history, our passion that touches people from all walks of life," Birren said. "We are truly global."

A USC professor said hard-core Raider fans are as loyal as any fan base in sports.

"It's an in-your-face attitude, they revel in it," sports professor David Carter said. "They want to be thought of as hard-to-the-bone. (They're) not going to be drinking chardonnay."

Carter said Raider fans are making statements about themselves when they join Raider Nation -- which explains why the Raiders are still popular in Southern California despite moving back to Oakland before the 1995 season.

"Raider fans see Raider Nation as a way of life," Carter said. "You don't abandon a team just because a team moves."

Seems the Raiders’ “gang appeal” skyrocketed when their team crashed and burned. Can’t recall gangbangers wearing Raider gear when they were among the consistently great teams in pro sports. Seems losers are attracted to losers.

2
posted on 09/02/2007 9:36:50 PM PDT
by Mr. Mojo
("Hidin' in a corner ...of New York City, lookin' down a .44 in West Virginy")

What’s wrong with bangers making themselves more visually identifiable?

Someone should market a line of wear exclusively to such scumbags. A hat and shirt combo or something. Name of the gang, position in the chain of command, list of crimes committed, etc. Make them fully customizable to the individual tard.

5
posted on 09/02/2007 9:44:29 PM PDT
by Grimmy
(equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)

It must have been as the Raiders have seemingly always drawn this element. My company had season tickets in LA for both the Rams and Raiders, plus I had season tickets for USC. The crowd for Raider games was a far different element then we saw at both the USC and Ram games.

We gave up the Raider tickets mainly because of the propensity for fights and altercations at their games.

20
posted on 09/02/2007 10:58:00 PM PDT
by Michael.SF.
("The military Mission has long since been accomplished" -- Harry Reid, April 23, 2007)

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